Multiple drivers pick up first wins of season

Senoia driver Gary Brand picked up his first victory of the season in the Hobby Stock division last
Saturday.

The fireworks began at Senoia Raceway even prior to Saturday’s anticipated Fire- cracker 30 special, as intense racing and several wild finishes were among last Saturday’s feature racing at the 3/8-mile clay track.

It was highlighted by a pair of first feature wins of the season by Paul Holloway in the B Cadets and Senoia driver Gary Brand in the Hobby Stocks.

Last week’s features included some of the best racing this season and some of the worst accidents.

Locust Grove’s Billy Stevenson was involved in a wild wreck near the half- way point of the Legends Car feature race. Stevenson clipped the front stretch wall and then barrel-rolled several times before coming to a rest on his wheels at the top of turn one. The crash hushed the crowd until a hobbled Stevenson emerged from the wreckage. Stevenson was taken to an area hospital where he was treated and released.

Crashes also marred a good race in the Hobby Stocks event. The race was slowed several times for cautions before being shortened to 15 laps. Grantville’s Ronnie Thacker nearly destroyed his car after being clipped when pair of drivers tangled in Turn 4, sending him up the track and almost head-on into the front-stretch wall.

When the dust settled, Brand had his first victory of the season. Franklin’s Chris Steele was second ahead of Brooks’ Kerry Carden. It was Carden’s best finish since he rolled his car down the front stretch three times in May.

The night’s craziest finish came in the Bomber division. Alvaton’s Jay Conner led the field flag-to-flag for the win, but Zebulon’s Jim Jackson wound up weaving in between the cars of Senoia drivers Winford Minix and Dustin Smith as well as Griffin’s John Holcomb to pull out a career-best second place finish.

Both Minix and Smith were trying to avoid Holcomb’s car after it slid down the track, with Minix spinning out with Smith, who held on for third ahead of Holcomb and Minix.

In advance of Saturday’s Firecracker 30 — a 30-lap, $1,000 purse feature in the B Cadets — Holloway came through with this first win of the season after jumping to the inside of Newnan’s Parrish Duncan with only a few laps remaining to steal away the lead position.

In the Late Models, Alabama’s Dana Eiland held off the ‘Grantville Grenade’ Austin Horton for the victory. LaGrange’s Dennis Hale passed the most cars and nabbed a third-place finish while Roopville rookie contender Clifton Moran was fourth. LaGrange’s Dusty Jones completed the top five.

Douglasville’s James ‘Showtime’ Stansel was the winner in the Legends Car feature. It was the second straight victory for Stansel since hopping into the seat of a Legends Car. Griffin’s Harold Leath won the Mini Stock feature while Carrollton’s Aubrey Merritt was the man to beat in the Modified Mini.